We are very excited about announcing the 2012 Technology 200. This is our 3rd annual list and proud to have so many high quality companies on our list. We want to say thank you to all of the applicants and hope to see you next year.

Over the past 3 years we have noticed a trend in our lists. It seems there are a lot of inbound/seo software companies that are growing very quickly. They have actually been growing faster than any of the mobile companies inside the lists. This includes companies like Hubspot, SEOMoz, Marketo, BrightWave Marketing, InfusionSoft, Vindicia, VerticalResponse and Yodle.

This wouldn’t be surprising if you were to look at our Marketing ROI survey. The past 2 years we have been asking the Tech 200 applicants where they see the biggest return in their marketing budget. This includes traditional as well as new media options. In both years, you will notice that the top 4 marketing methods are seo, email marketing, online ads and tradeshows. Excluding tradeshows, this is exactly what these inbound & marketing automation software companies are delivering to their clients.

So who is the overall winner? Austin-based MHD Enterprises took the top spot with 4823% growth. That is a 37% increase over last year’s winner. Congratulations!

The selection process for this year’s movers and shakers in the Software, Hardware, Internet, Media, Advertising, Wireless, Telecom, IT Services, eCommerce, and Consulting industries included the following requirements:

And the wait is finally over… Lead411 has now released the much-anticipated list of this year’s top performing companies – Technology 200! From an overwhelming number of 600 applications, the Lead411 team has narrowed it down to the cream of the crop, 200 companies that have manifested remarkable revenue growth, with at least $500,000 in income for the year 2010.

Last year, we highlighted Tech 500 finalist Spongecell. It’s no surprise that the company made this year’s Tech 200 list as well. In the past year, the company has tripled in size, opened an office in Europe, and continue to expand in the US. It’s also nearly doubled its revenues: in 2009 the company brought in $1,123,000. In 2010, that number was $4,000,000. CEO Ben Kartzman attributes this growth to several factors. First, the company’s retaining clients like nobody’s business. Some of Spongecell’s clients have been with them from the start, which was a measly three years ago.

Second, the company’s core team is bringing in new employees and training them to thrive in the “client-friendly culture.” Finally, says Kartzman, “the growth and attention that the display advertising industry has garnered has helped us tremendously as well as more and more brand dollars shifting online every day.”

In other words, Spongecell is thriving because brands are learning to step up their advertising game. Not bad.

Actual ROI

What does that new advertising frontier look like? Spongecell focuses on creating interactive and dynamic advertisements that might change based on a viewer’s behavior online. You and I probably won’t see the same ad, especially if we’re visiting different types of websites. What advertisers with Spongecell love is its reporting capabilities. Companies can find out who interacted with an ad, and how they interacted. “We’ve always been able to extract an incredible amount of data from our ad units,” explains Kartzman, “Now we’re working on making those numbers more visual and easier to learn from.”

Kartzman still attributes Spongecell’s success to its sales team, who use tools like the company’s online ad gallery and internal CRM systems to better explain and showcase its products. They’re also using speaking opportunities and networking to increase sales. “But ultimately, we’ve found that when people see our product, they get it.”

Plans for the Future

Spongecell will be developing video products soon, though Kartzman says he won’t be announcing exactly what for a few more months. He also sees more global expansion, including additional development in Europe, as well as South America, Asia and Australia.

“Over the next five years we expect to be fully integrated into mobile and really become a one-stop shop for all digital advertising needs,” says Kartzman.

We’ve got the FDA to regulate our food products. The CAN-SPAM act to make sure business don’t spam us via email. Why aren’t we paying more attention to digital advertising? Evidon, a leading provider of privacy and compliance solutions for digital media, provides strategy and technology to help leading brands, agencies, publishers, and solutions providers comply easily with privacy law and self-regulatory “Ad Choices” programs across North America and Europe.

What that means in a nutshell is that online advertising is becoming regulated. Advertisers have to advertise the truth (remember the days when cigarettes were promoted to have health benefits?), and consumers get transparency into and control over how their information is used online.

Evidon helps companies by educating them on the latest regulatory developments, as well as their compliance standings in different countries, which vary in strictness.

Despite there being a ton of HR recruiters and job hunting tools online, most of them miss the mark. Job seekers spend hours browsing jobs on CareerBuilder, Monster and TheLadders, while most of the applications companies receive never get reviewed. Recruiters are notorious for contacting people who either aren’t looking for a job anymore, or who are unqualified for the job they’re looking to fill. That’s why Climber.com, one of the Tech 200, is sheer genius.

Climber.com’s platform is like Salesforce.com for job seekers. It aggregates job listings from all the top job sites, which saves seekers time. Job seekers are ranked on the site based on their activity, and it’s been shown that hiring managers gravitate toward those who are more active on the site. Users can also take notes and categorize jobs based on those they’ve applied for, had an interview for, et cetera. Climber works directly with a network of recruiters, and connects them to qualified candidates via social media. It takes the job hunt to a whole new level.

Clearly, the San Diego based company is succeeding with its approach to helping job seekers find work. The company grew revenues over 400% from 2009 to 2010, and more than 2700% from 2008 to 2010.

Climber CEO Mike O’Brien attributes this phenomenal growth to “a better understanding of what our customers needs are.” Climber is constantly revamping its offerings and working to offer job hunters more useful and relevant tools.

Partners for Success

So what marketing tool brings the biggest ROI for Climber? It’s not advertising, or PR. “Climber’s focus is on identifying and growing mutually beneficial partnerships,” said O’Brien, “We don’t mind bearing the weight of development and integrations costs if the partnership has high potential. This enables us to create integrations that do not rely heavily on the partner’s already overburdened tech staff.”

And speaking of ROI, it’s the one thing O’Brien attributes to Climber’s fast growth. By keeping an eye on what’s generating solid ROI and what’s not, the company stays agile and nimble: “We do not believe in spending to develop brand, but rather developing our brand as a by-product of our sales.”

What’s Next

O’Brien says he hopes to grow sales 200% by adding news partners and scaling Climber’s new Leadli.com product, which helps a professional build a personal career brand and generate referrals through social media. It’s his hope that within five years, the company will have a suite of products that help professionals become more productive and have sales north of $100 million.